Logo Athletic has manufactured 500,000 caps and 300,000 t-
shirts commemorating the Bulls' NBA championship, while Pro
Player says its eight Bulls t-shirt designs will generate $6M in
retail sales, according to the N.Y. TIMES. Richard Sandomir
writes that Logo, Starter and Pro Player are three of 23
companies licensed by the NBA to produce championship
merchandise, adding, "It's a rapid-response retail universe that
reacts quickly to the flush of victory." Logo President Tom
Shrine says increased "manufacturing capabilities" allow
companies to generate products within "three days." Logo,
Starter and Pro Player all began manufacturing merchandise before
the Bulls lost Game 4. Had the Sonics won the Series, all
"hastily made" Bulls' goods would have been destroyed (N.Y.
TIMES, 6/19).
THE PAYOFF? Fruit-of-the-Loom estimates it will sell $20M
worth of Bulls merchandise this year, with half coming over the
last five weeks. Pro Player President of Marketing and
Merchandising David Strumeier said their total sales projections
for Bulls merchandise is approximately $20-25M at retail.
Starter says it has already sold twice as many Bulls units as the
Cowboys sold after their Super Bowl XXX victory ("SportsCenter,"
ESPN, 6/18).
NEW AMERICA'S TEAM? "SportsCenter" last night reported on
the global popularity of the Bulls -- based on the worldwide
sales of Bulls merchandise and TV ratings that NBA games
involving the Bulls receive in foreign countries. ESPN's Steve
Levy: "It has nearly gotten to the point where all a young
entrepreneur would have to do is write the word 'Bulls' on an
index card and start hawking. An easy way to make a buck.
That's just about how hot Bulls merchandise is right now." Jose
Roberto Espinoza, of Mexico's TV-Azteca: "The games with the
Chicago Bulls score about 12 points. When we don't have the
Bulls, we score like 4 to 6." Arik Henig, of IBA-TV Israel:
"All over the world, Michael [Jordan] is as popular as the Pope."
Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan: "With the possible exception of
Manchester United, this is the most known and popular sports
entity in the whole world." NBA Entertainment Exec VP Don
Sperling: "A lot of it has to do with style. I think a lot of
it has to do with popularity of players" (ESPN, 6/18). Jordan is
profiled in USA TODAY under the header: "Michael Jordan is bigger
than basketball; he's a pop icon" (USA TODAY, 6/19). ISI
President Frank Vuono and The Marquee Group's Bob Gutkowski
discussed the Bulls on CNN ("Moneyline," 6/18).
